3/4 Folk Waltz drum pattern
A two-bar 3/4 waltz for songs: kick on 1, cross-stick on 2 and a lighter 3, straight eighth-note hats and a soft kick pickup on the & of 3 in bar two. Press Play to hear it with a sampled drum kit at 120 BPM, change the tempo or swing, and follow every hit on the grid.
How to count the 3/4 Folk Waltz
Count it as: 1 & 2 & 3 & · two bars. The pattern is a 2-bar phrase in 3/4 (two-bar 3/4 on an eighth-note grid).
The 3/4 Folk Waltz pattern, hit by hit
Each character is one step of the grid and each group is one beat. X is an accented hit, x a normal hit, o a quiet or ghost note and - a rest.
| Voice | Bar 1 | Bar 2 |
|---|---|---|
| Kick | X- -- -- | x- -- -x |
| Cross-stick | -- x- x- | -- x- x- |
| Closed hat | xo xo oo | xo xo oo |
Tempo and feel
One strong beat and two light ones. Think of it as one long step and two short ones, and never let beat 3 get as loud as beat 2. The default tempo is 120 BPM. Slow it down until every hit is controlled, then raise the tempo a few BPM at a time.
How to practise the 3/4 Folk Waltz
Count 1 2 3 and play the kick on 1 only. Add the cross-stick on 2 and 3, keeping 3 softer. Add the eighth-note hats, then the bar-two kick pickup on the & of 3.
Variations to try next
Play 2 and 3 on the hi-hat foot for a lighter verse. Move the right hand to the ride for the chorus. Play only beat 1 for a one-in-a-bar feel.
Where to hear this feel
Records in this family include The Beatles - Norwegian Wood (This Bird Has Flown), Billy Joel - Piano Man and Elliott Smith - Waltz #2 (XO). A practice study of the straight-eighth waltz under 3/4 pop and folk songs such as The Beatles' Norwegian Wood, Billy Joel's Piano Man and Elliott Smith's Waltz #2 (XO). It is not a transcription of any of them. The old dance-band oom-pah-pah is softened for a song: the kick takes 1, a cross-stick takes 2 and 3 with 3 lighter, and in bar two a soft kick on the & of 3 leans into the next phrase.